1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus which records by spraying ink to a recording medium, more specifically, relates to a mounting structure of an ink cartridge or the like which is attachable to and detachable from a carriage unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a recording apparatus which prints out by ink, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,063, there is a need to securely hold an ink cartridge on a carriage unit in a state where electrical contacts thereof are kept in press-contact. FIGS. 1A to 1C and FIG. 2 are mounting corresponding views for mounting an attachable and detachable ink cartridge 1 on a carriage unit 2 of an inkjet printer (a recording apparatus), more specifically, views showing a state where an electrical contact 3 disposed on the ink cartridge 1 is conduction-connected to an electrical contact 4 disposed on the carriage unit 2. Furthermore specifically, FIG. 1A is a sectional view showing a state where the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage unit 2 of a prior art. FIG. 1B is a side view of the ink cartridge 1. FIG. 1C is an enlarged sectional view showing a section I of FIG. 1A. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the carriage unit 2 of the prior art in a state where a cover 7 is opened.
The ink cartridge 1 is provided with an ink nozzle part 1a which discharges ink to a recording medium, a flexible print board 1b which outputs, to the ink nozzle part 1a, a control signal for executing discharge control of ink discharged to a recording medium, and the electrical contact 3 for receiving the control signal to the flexible print board 1b from the electrical contact 4 of the carriage unit 2.
When this ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage unit 2, the electrical contact 4 of the carriage unit 2 and the electrical contact 3 of the ink cartridge 1 are conduction-connected in a press-contact state. As a result, an electrical signal is obtained from the carriage unit 2 via the electrical contacts 3 and 4, and ink discharge control is executed. Therefore, a sufficient press-contact force is required to form a stable conduction state between the electrical contacts 3 and 4.
In an example of a conventional method, a protruding portion 1c having a slope face S is disposed on a top face of the ink cartridge 1, a pressing member 5 pressed by a coil spring 5a is disposed on the cover 7 (or a lever or the like) attached to the carriage unit 2 so as to be openable and closable, and when the cover 7 is closed after the ink cartridge 1 is mounted on the carriage unit 2, a slope face S of the pressing member 5 touches the slope face S of the protruding portion 1c in an energizing state. By applying a pressure on the slope face S of the protruding portion 1c by the touch of the slope face S of the pressing member 5 in a direction of a vector V (a direction to the contacts), that is, in a direction of the normal line perpendicular to the slope face S of the protruding portion 1c, the electrical contact 3 of the ink cartridge 1 is pressed and energized against the electrical contact 4 of the carriage unit 2. Here, a reference numeral 8 in FIGS. 1A and 2 denotes a guide rail for guiding the carriage unit 2 in a main scanning direction, and the guide rail is inserted so as to be slidable in a guide hole at a lower part of a main body of the carriage unit 2.
In this construction, in a case where, for example, a pressure of 50 g is required for a single contact and there are forty two contacts, a pressure of 2100 g is required in total as a contact pressure between the electrical contact 3 of the ink cartridge 1 and the electrical contact 4 of the carriage unit 2.
In the case of examining by setting this as a prerequisite and decomposing a force which acts on the ink cartridge 1 to an X-direction component force, a Y-direction component force and moment, the following expressions (1) to (3) hold.
X direction: F2xc2x7sin 43.5xc2x0xe2x88x92F1xe2x88x92F3=0xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1) 
Y direction: F4+F5xe2x88x92F2xc2x7cos 43.5xc2x0=0xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2) 
Moment: 20.1F1+42.7F4xe2x88x9217.1F2=0xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(3) 
Here, a rotation center of the moment is denoted by MO in the drawings.
In the above expressions (1) to (3), in the case of calculating so that values of F1 to F5 become positive values, the minimum values of F1 to F5 are as follows: F1=2100 g, F2=3051 g, F3=0 g, F4=233 g, and F5=1980 g. However, in practice, it is desirable that F3 has a value of 0 or more, F2, F4 and F5 are required to have larger values than the above values.
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a force of 2213 g of a component force in a direction perpendicular to the pressing member 5 (=F2xc2x7sin 46.5xc2x0) is necessary at the time of closing the cover 7 for holding the ink cartridge 1, and a large force is required for a user in order to mount the ink cartridge 1.
Although a comparatively low pressure is enough to hold the ink cartridge 1 on the carriage unit 2 fundamentally, as described above, in order to obtain sufficient electrical conduction between the electrical contacts 3 and 4 disposed on the carriage unit 2 and the ink cartridge 1, there is a need to cause a considerably strong press-contact force to act on both the contacts 3, 4.
Therefore, consequently, the pressing member 5 is required to exert a pressing force equal to or more than a force for holding the ink cartridge 1. Furthermore, since an acting direction of the pressing force from the pressing member 5 is slant against a joining direction of the electrical contacts 3 and 4, a pressing force equal to or more than a pressure necessary for electrical conduction is needed.
Accordingly, there is a problem that at the time of closing the cover 7 after mounting the ink cartridge 1 on the carriage unit 2, there is a large reaction force from the pressing member 5, it is hard to close because of a considerably strong resistance, and the operability is bad.
At the same time, since the carriage unit 2 needs a rigidity enough to resist such a pressure, it is necessary to use a material having a high rigidity, and since it is necessary to set a sufficient wall thickness, the weight increases and the cost rises.
Furthermore, since the number of the electrical contacts 3 and 4 for one ink cartridge 1 trends toward increase because the number of holes of an ink spraying nozzle increases as a resolution and a speed of a recording apparatus get higher, there is a need to exert a higher pressure on the ink cartridge 1, and the problem of decrease of the operability, increase of the weight of the carriage unit and rise of the cost gets more significant.
The present invention is made in consideration of these actual conditions, and an object thereof is to provide a recording apparatus which enables a simple attachment/detachment operation of an ink cartridge and a stable conduction state between an electrical contact thereof and an electrical contact of a carriage unit and prevents increase of the weight of the carriage unit and rise of the cost.
The invention provides a recording apparatus comprising a carriage unit having an electrical contact,
an ink cartridge having an electrical contact, the ink cartridge being mounted so as to be attachable and detachable to the carriage unit in a state where the electrical contacts are kept in press-contact with each other,
a cover for opening and closing an attachment/detachment direction of the ink cartridge in the carriage unit,
energizing means for generating an energizing force responsive to a deformation amount in the opposite direction to a deformation direction, the energizing means being arranged in the carriage unfit so as to be opposed to a wall face on the opposite side to a wall face provided with the electrical contact of the ink cartridge mounted on the carriage unit, and
an insertion member which is inserted in or removed from between the energizing means and the wall face on the opposite side to the wall face provided with the electrical contact of the ink cartridge in accordance with a movement of the cover in a closing direction or an opening direction, the insertion member being disposed on the cover so as to be movable in a press-contact direction of the electrical contact of the carriage unit and the electrical contact of the ink cartridge,
wherein the insertion member deforms the energizing means in accordance with a movement of the insertion member in an insertion direction so as to gradually move away from the wall face on the opposite side to the wall face provided with the electrical contact of the ink cartridge in the opposite direction to the press-contact direction.
According to the invention, when the cover is closed after the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage unit, the insertion member disposed on the cover is inserted in between the energizing means disposed on the carriage unit and the wall face on the opposite side to the wall face provided with the electrical contact of the ink cartridge, thereby deforming the energizing means so as to gradually move away from the wall face on the opposite side to the wall face provided with the electrical contact of the ink cartridge in the opposite direction to the press-contact direction of the electrical contact of the ink cartridge and the electrical contact of the carriage unit, and displacing in the press-contact direction of the electrical contact of the ink cartridge and the electrical contact of the carriage unit. Therefore, the energizing pressing generates an energizing force which gradually increases in the press-contact direction of the electrical contact of the ink cartridge and the electrical contact of the carriage unit in accordance with a movement of the cover in the closing direction, and this energizing force acts via the insertion member on the wall face on the opposite side to the wall face provided with the electrical contact of the ink cartridge, whereby the electrical contact of the carriage unit and the electrical contact of the ink cartridge are kept in press-contact. As a result, a reaction force which acts on the cover when the cover moves in the closing direction gradually increases in accordance with a displacement amount of the cover, and the operability at the time of closing the cover increases. Moreover, the electrical contact of the carriage unit and the electrical contact of the ink cartridge are kept in press-contact in a stable state by the energizing force acting in the press-contact direction thereof via the insertion member.
According to the invention, by causing the energizing means to generate the energizing force which gradually increases in the press-contact direction of the electrical contact of the ink cartridge and the electrical contact of the carriage unit in accordance with a movement of the cover in the closing direction, causing this energizing force to act via the insertion member on the wall face on the opposite side to the wall face provided with the electrical contact of the ink cartridge, and keeping the electrical contact of the carriage unit and the electrical contact of the ink cartridge in press-contact, it is possible to gradually increase the reaction force acting on the cover when the cover moves in the closing direction in accordance with a displacement amount of the cover, and it is possible to increase the operability at the time of closing the cover. Moreover, it is possible to keep the electrical contact of the carriage unit and the electrical contact of the ink cartridge in press-contact in a stable state by the energizing force acting in parallel with the press-contact direction thereof via the insertion member.
In the invention it is preferable that a pressing-down member which touches or moves away from an upper portion of the ink cartridge in accordance with a movement of the cover in the closing direction or the opening direction is disposed on the cover, and the pressing-down member is caused to touch the upper portion of the ink cartridge when the cover is closed, whereby the ink cartridge is securely held on the carriage unit.
According to the invention, when the cover is closed after the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage unit, the pressing-down member touches the upper portion of the ink cartridge, and presses the ink cartridge downward. Therefore, a secure state of the ink cartridge on the carriage unit is held in a stable manner.
According to the invention, by causing the pressing-down member to touch the upper portion of the ink cartridge and pressing the ink cartridge downward when the cover is closed after the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage unit, it is possible to hold a secure state of the ink cartridge on the carriage unit in a stable manner.
In the invention it is preferable that a tip end of the insertion member is formed like a wedge.
According to the invention, in accordance with a movement of the cover in the closing direction, between the energizing means and the wall face on the opposite of the ink cartridge, the insertion member with the tip end formed like a wedge is inserted in. Therefore, a component force in the insertion direction of the energizing force acting on the insertion member from the energizing means as a reaction force of a closing movement of the cover becomes small enough, and the operability at the time of closing the cover further increases.
According to the invention, by inserting the insertion member with the tip end formed like a wedge in between the energizing means and the wall face on the opposite side to the wall face provided with the electrical contact of the ink cartridge in accordance with a movement of the cover in the closing direction, it is possible to make a component force in the insertion direction of the energizing force acting on the insertion member from the energizing means as a reaction force of a closing movement of the cover small enough, and it is possible to further increase the operability at the time of closing the cover.
In the invention it is preferable that the pressing-down member is connected to the insertion member via an elastic member.
According to the invention, when the cover is closed after the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage unit, the pressing-down member connected to the insertion member via the elastic member touches the upper portion of the ink cartridge. Therefore, the pressing-down member elastically touches the upper portion of the ink cartridge and presses the ink cartridge by the elasticity of the elastic member, and a secure state of the ink cartridge on the carriage unit is maintained in a stable manner.
According to the invention, by causing the pressing-down member connected to the insertion member via the elastic member to touch the upper portion of the ink cartridge when the cover is closed after the ink cartridge is mounted on the carriage unit, it is possible to cause the pressing-down member to elastically touch the upper portion of the ink cartridge and continue pressing the ink cartridge by the elasticity of the elastic member, and it is possible to maintain a secure state of the ink cartridge on the carriage unit in a stable manner.
In the invention it is preferable that a plurality of ink cartridges are mounted on the carriage unit so as to be attachable and detachable, and the cover is formed integrally with all of the ink cartridges mounted on the carriage unit.
According to the invention, all of the attachment/detachment directions of the ink cartridges mounted on the carriage unit are opened and closed by a single cover. Therefore, a closing operation of the cover at the time of mounting the ink cartridges on the carriage unit is completed at one time. Moreover, supporting members to be provided between covers, respectively, in the case of disposing the covers to the individual ink cartridges are not necessary, spaces between the ink cartridges are decreased, and the carriage is downsized.
According to the invention, by opening and closing all of the attachment/detachment directions of the ink cartridges mounted on the carriage unit by the single cover, it is possible to complete a closing operation of the cover at the time of mounting the ink cartridges on the carriage unit at one time, whereby the operability increases. Moreover, it is possible to eliminate the need for supporting members to be provided between covers, respectively, in the case of disposing the covers on the individual ink cartridges, and it is possible to decrease spaces between the ink cartridges and downsize the carriage.
In the invention it is preferable that instead of the ink cartridge, a nozzle cartridge having an electrical contact and an ink bottle are mounted on the carriage unit so as to be attachable and detachable.
According to the invention, by inserting the nozzle cartridge in which the ink bottle is fitted into the carriage unit, and closing and latching the cover, the ink bottle and the nozzle cartridge are securely held on the carriage unit, and the electrical contact disposed on the nozzle cartridge is energized and kept in press-contact by the energizing means in a direction opposed to the electrical contact disposed on the carriage unit, with the result that it is possible to conduct a mounting operation of the ink bottle and the nozzle cartridge with operability, and obtain a stable conduction state.
According to the invention, by inserting the nozzle cartridge in which the ink bottle is fitted into the carriage unit, and closing and latching the cover, the ink bottle and the nozzle cartridge are securely held on the carriage unit, and the electrical contact disposed on the nozzle cartridge is energized and kept in press-contact by the energizing means in a direction opposed to the electrical contact disposed on the carriage unit, with the result that it is possible to increase the operability of a mounting operation of the ink bottle and the nozzle cartridge, and obtain a stable conduction state.